Surrey County Council Leader Dr Andrew Povey has picked up the challenge of protecting the beauty of Surrey while maintaining its status as an “economic powerhouse”.

Dr Povey was addressing the Surrey Rural Conference, organised by the Surrey Rural Partnership on 12 May. The aim of the event was to outline the social, economic and environmental challenges facing rural Surrey, and the initiatives proposed to address them. 

Dr Povey said: “Surrey is special. Surrey is both an economic powerhouse with one of the most successful and enterprising populations in the UK and a region with some of the country’s most beautiful and unspoilt rural landscapes and villages. It is important that we recognise that this is an achievement that we will lose if we do not all put in a sustained effort to maintain it.

“The key is sustainability – sustainable economic growth, sustainable population levels, sustainable levels of housing and infrastructure, sustainable levels of waste and waste treatment, and a sustainable high quality of life for Surrey residents, wherever they should live in the county.”

Waste treatment is being revolutionised. With the help of extraordinary efforts by residents, the amount going into landfill has fallen sharply and the aim is zero landfill by 2013. A new Eco Park in Sunbury will use anaerobic digestion and gasification to turn waste into enough energy to power 10,000 households while achieving a carbon reduction equivalent to taking 21,000 cars off the roads.

The council has also set itself a target of reducing its own carbon emissions by a minimum of 20% by 2014. Steps towards this have included lending energy meters to residents through Surrey libraries and awarding £54,000 of grants to schools and community-based projects through the Local Committee Climate Change Fund.

Dr Povey continued: “It is particularly important that all Surrey residents can enjoy a high quality of life. That is why I was keen to make my first major initiative when I became Leader of Surrey County Council one that would address a concern that residents throughout the county had brought to my attention: anti-social driving. There are few things that so quickly spoil the attractiveness of life in Surrey as irresponsible and inappropriate driving, be it in village centres or in towns.”

Dr Povey endorsed the work of the Rural Partnership to promote rural businesses, “the lifeblood of rural communities” and to promote rural tourism.

He concluded: “Surrey is special and it is up to all of us to strike a balance on each of these fronts to ensure that Surrey remains so.”